The Voice of Early Childhood

Children's understanding of power dynamics are explored through the concept of 'possession as a form of power', in the context of social sustainability. Researcher Carmela Garcia Manas shares her findings in this third episode in a research series around education for social sustainability. To read and listen to the whole research series visit: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/articles/sustainability/ Tune into next week's episode on the impact and power of the adult on children’s actions, and behaviours around social sustainability. If you enjoyed this episode you might also like to listen to Carmela's previous episode with Zanna Clarke, Principal of Miss Daisy’s Nursery Schools, on 'Life skills over academic achievement' - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/life-skills-over-academic-achievement/  Episode break down: 00:00 - What do we mean by possession?  03:03 - Unequal distribution of resources  04:10 - Children are aware that possession involves power 05:20 - Scenario 1: In search of food 11:20 - Decision making is a form of power 13:15 - Sense of authority and influence 18:00 - Conformity to roles 21:38 - Scenario 2: In search of water 24:20 - Possession affecting the feeling of inclusion 28:40 - A change in conformity levels 32:50 - Social sustainability in every day play and routines 36:20 - Next episode... For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

Here Carmela shares the first theme uncovered from her findings, centred around children’s perceptions of poverty and race. This is the second episode in a research series around education for social sustainability by Carmela Garcia Manas. Carmela is the Headmistress of Miss Daisy’s Chelsea and PhD researcher at University of Dundee.  To read and listen to the whole research series visit: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/childrens-perceptions-of-race-and-poverty/ Tune into next week's episode on theme 2: Children's perceptions of power dynamics in society If you enjoyed this episode you might also like to listen to Carmela's previous episode with Zanna Clarke, Principal of Miss Daisy’s Nursery Schools, on 'Life skills over academic achievement' - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/life-skills-over-academic-achievement/  Episode break down: 00:00 - Exposing children to social issues 03:40 - Using drama to understand poverty and race 05:00 - Children from a privileged background 08:00 - Bridging the gap between play and real life 09:30 - Children's comments around poverty 14:20 - What does it feel like to have no water? 17:40 - Why are books not enough for understanding complex issues? 21:45 - Introducing challenging topics sensitively  23:00 - Racism is socially constructed 26:00 - Children naturally hold positive views around diversity 29:45 - What does it feel like not to speak a shared language? 35:30 - Exposure to diversity is vital 37:45 - Supporting parents in feeling comfortable to talk about race and poverty 40:00 - Episode summary 45:00 - Next episode... For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

This is the first episode in a research series around education for social sustainability by Carmela Garcia Manas. Carmela is the Headmistress of Miss Daisy’s Chelsea and PhD researcher at University of Dundee, she introduces her PhD research in this episode, and breaks down the findings into several themes in the follow up episodes.  To read Carmela's article visit: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/education-for-social-sustainability-through-sociodramatic-play/  Tune into next week's episode on theme 1: Children's perceptions of race and poverty If you enjoyed this episode you might also like to listen to Carmela's previous episode with Zanna Clarke, Principal of Miss Daisy’s Nursery Schools, on 'Life skills over academic achievement' - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/life-skills-over-academic-achievement/  Episode break down: 00:00 - Why did you conduct this research and what was your goal?  02:40 - What are the 3 dimensions of sustainability? 04:10 - Addressing complex issues with children 05:40 - Are we taking away the innocence of childhood? 09:00 - Exposing children to new situations 10:25 - What is sociodramatic play? 14:00 - Children taking an active role as co-researchers 15:30 - Seeing childhood as a permanent structure 16:20 - Fighting for children's rights, social sustainability and social transformation 18:00 - Sustainability missing from the EYFS 22:20 - Upskilling educators in social sustainability 26:00 - Raising future politicians, scientists, educators... 27:35 - Children's understanding of race 29:25 - Challenging misconceptions and stereotypes 30:25 - Empowering children to have a voice and speak out 31:45 - The context of Carmela's research 35:10 - Next episode... For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

This podcast episode is the first in a series focused around men in early years.  An honest, reflective account of what it is like for a man to work in early years. Kevin Nelson shares his personal journey, including the honest truths in the podcast episode. Kevin also poses ideas of how we can encourage more men to choose the early years as a career, or even a stepping stone.  To read Kevin's article visit: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/what-is-it-like-being-a-man-in-early-childhood/  Support for men: To support men in early childhood further, we have partnered with Male Childcare & Teaching Jobs as part of this episode and ongoing podcast series on 'men in early childhood'. Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs advocate for greater male participation in education and caregiving roles, offering support and guidance to enhance gender inclusion in nurseries and schools. To find out more visit: https://malechildcareandteachingjobs.co.uk/  Listen to more: If you enjoyed this episode you might also like to listen to 'Advocacy, agency and rights in early childhood' - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/advocacy-agency-and-rights-in-early-childhood/  Episode break down: 00:00 - The same questions, the same answers 01:50 - Are we missing something? 02:50 - The stigma associated with working in early years 04:35 - 'I was called a paedophile' 06:30 - 'Banter' and toxic masculinity 09:20 - Inside the football changing room: There's no barriers 10:40 - Skills taken into early years from football 11:20 - Do we value men in early years for who they are? 12:35 - The cultural capital you bring with you 13:40 - Creating unity within the workplace 15:00 - Similarities between football and early years 17:00 - Men take longer to mature 19:10 - What is developmentally appropriate for young men? 21:00 - The career options with early years 23:30 - Men being promoted: We need to celebrate this 25:40 - How can men empathise women if they don't work with them? 26:20 - Personal growth through working with women 27:10 - Working with empowering and inspiring women in early years 30:30 - 'My mum is my absolute hero' 31:30 - Appreciating and empathising with women 34:20 - If you want to develop empathy, work in the early years! 36:40 - Early years gives you a clearer look at life 38:00 - Giving men safe spaces to be vulnerable and open up 41:40 - Sharing personal journeys 43:20 - 'I was told not to change nappies'  46:50 - Having to 'prove yourself' as a man in early years 48:15 - A supportive team around you 49:25 - So...how DO we recruit more men into early years? 51:30 - Becoming a first time dad: The lack of support for men 52:35 - The vast skills men develop from working in early years: Personal and professional 53:40 - Advocating for men in early years 56:40 - Having more of these conversations outside of early years too For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

Do we focus too much on academic success over life skills? This is certainly the case in many prep schools. Zanna Clarke, Principal of Miss Daisy’s Nursery Schools, and Carmela Garcia Manas, Headmistress of Miss Daisy’s Chelsea and PhD researcher at University of Dundee, discuss the challenges they navigate around societal and parental expectations when working in the more privileged areas of London. To read Carmela's and Zanna's article visit: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com  If you enjoyed this epside you might also like to listen to Matt Bawler's episode on 'Growth mindset in early childhood' - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/growth-mindset-in-early-childhood/  Episode break down: 00:00 - Miss Daisy's Nursery Schools 03:00 - A privileged area of London 04:50 - Prep schools have quite a formal assessment process 06:50 - Life skills should be the focus over academic achievement 09:50 - Early childhood pioneers focused on play based life skills 11:10 - The ability to adapt requires the development of life skills 12:00 - We don't know future jobs that might exist 15:00 - Seeing children as citizens and individuals in their own right 19:00 - Adults and children as co-constructors of knowledge 20:50 - A process of mutual transformation 21:40 - Children need to understand why they are asked to do things 24:00 - Learning life skills through day to day routines 26:55 - Involving children in their local community 31:00 - Blending home and school/nursery 32:50 - Focusing on the local more than the wider community 33:45 - Navigating challenges around parent expectations 36:30 - Knowing where every child needs to be challenged For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

This is a very special episode which marks 1 year of The Voice of Early Childhood (TVOEC) since launching in April 2023. Which is why things are flipped and our usual host is the guest this time! Adam Marycz speaks to the Founder of TVOEC: Angelica Celinska. They begin with the values and vision of TVOEC, where it all began and why, as well as the challenges along the way. This episode is a very open and honest discussion, with an inside look at TVOEC - Adam asks Angelica unexpected questions on her own podcast, such as 'Are you scared of offending people?', and 'Do you have any regrets?'. This leads onto addressing the challenges faced on a personal level, including exposing yourself when you are an entrepreneur, challenging the system, going against the norm, and even dealing with upsetting people by seemingly doing the right thing and giving everyone a voice. Tune into this raw, deep and insightful episode.  To find out and listen to more visit: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com  Episode break down: 00:00 - The Voice of Early Childhood is 1 years old 04:18 - What is TVOEC and what are it's values? 05:10 - Accessibility for all: Bridging the gap between academia and practice 07:25 - Open access articles: Free for everyone 08:20 - Inclusive: Everyone is welcome and encouraged to share their voice  08:55 - The pillars TVOEC is built on 09:45 - The role of reflection: Learning doesn't happen without reflection 10:50 - Equipping parents to be the best they can be for their children 14:00 - Parents feeling welcomed and that they belong here 15:50 - There's still a lot of work to do with parents feeling comfortable 18:00 - Why and how was TVOEC created? From concept to launch 24:30 - Controversial and uncomfortable conversations 27:30 - Dealing with criticism as an entrepreneur: The risks involved  30:55 - Are you scared of offending people? 33:00 - The feeling of responsibility in protecting my podcast guests and writers 35:00 - Things do become personal, especially in the early years sector!  37:10 - Anxieties around pushing people away or splitting TVOEC's audience 40:31 - 'This is everything I have always wanted but...'. The challenges of owning a company 43:25 - The smallest criticism can destroy you as a business owner 43:59 - 'Is it even worth it?' What happens when you turn your passion into work 44:15 - Balancing your values with running a business 48:00 - How do you put your own conference together on your own? 51:00 - The challenges of a business owner: Having understanding and empathy of any business owner 52:30 - 'Why do I do this to myself?' Feeling like you are exposing yourself 53:30 - Constant self-criticism 54:30 - Dealing with long-term burnout 57:00 - 'You can't allow yourself to fall apart as a business owner, as a podcast host...' 01:02:55 - Do you have any regrets? 01:04:15 - 'If it's going to destroy me then I won't exist to carry it on...' 01:05:00 - 'I want to be ok as a person' 01:05:00 - The toll on mental health and relationships 01:07:05 - Having to drop the perfectionist mindset 01:07:40 - When do you quit? 01:10:20 - Change, evolution and growth 01:12:30 - What is the future of TVOEC? 01:16:00 - Adam's role as part of TVOEC's future 01:17:35 - 'If you don't start this now then someone else will'. 01:17:35 - 1 year anniversary GIVEAWAY!  For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

Enya Last talks to Angelica about educator and employee wellbeing. Enya is the co-owner of Enya's Childcare which she started with her husband. She shares with us her personal journey as a business owner and leader, and provides us with tips on how to support your team's wellbeing.  This episode is in partnership with Edufeel - Edufeel is committed to increasing the mental health literacy of our workforce and creating zero stigma to safeguard the wellbeing of educators for the present and the future. Learn how your educators feel through daily check-ins and get the analytics you need to increase well-being, build a better setting culture and improve outcomes for children. To find out more visit: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/partners/  Episode break down: 00:00 - Why are we talking about educator wellbeing? 01:30 - Building your team is a labour of love 02:20 - You're not interviewing just an educator but a human being 03:30 - Bringing your whole self to work 04:50 - We care for our employees - without your team you don't have a nursery 05:20 - You have to be the pillar of strength 100% of the time as a leader 06:45 - Leaders should show their vulnerability 08:40 - The team supporting the leader 09:40 - Why did you create Edufeel? 10:25 - Daily check-ins  11:55 - Unspoken dialogue is important 12:45 - Baboons and humans - what do they have in common? 14:00 - Educators come across as unicorns with no problems 15:15 - Stress is contagious - both for other adults and children 16:15 - It's not always about offering solutions all the time 17:30 - Stigma is suffocating 18:30 - The cycles of mental health 19:40 - The 'Sunday scaries' and seasonal depression 21:30 - Leaning into mental health cycles and patterns 22:20 - But are we opening up a can of worms? 22:50 - Focus on the long term with your team 24:20 - Don't allow bottling - create space for challenging conversations 25:10 - A wellbeing category for every staff meeting 26:00 - Staff meeting tip 1: What do you admire about yourself? 26:50 - Staff meeting tip 2: Silent human knot challenge (constant unspoken problem solving) 27:55 - Staff meeting tip 3: The power of play for adults and not just children 29:00 - Staff meeting tip 4: Show and tell 30:39 - Self-care is not always the nice fluffy stuff 31:50 - Help your team to get things off their shoulders 32:40 - A wellbeing evening: Allowing your team to take time for themselves 35:00 - Employees, ask yourselves: Is this a healthy place for me to be? Does it have a detrimental effect on me?  36:07 - Employers, ask yourselves: What is making people stay here? How consistent are you with your wellbeing approach? 37:00 - Is your wellbeing approach embedded? 37:40 - 1 in 4 of the early years workforce are considering leaving the sector due to stress or mental health difficulties 39:00 - If you can't self-regulate then how on earth are you going to co-regulate? 39:50 - Passionate, well qualified, amazing educators are leaving the sector 43:30 - Sharing your feelings or your mental state provides a sense of releif 45:15 - Knowing your team's love language 46:00 - Praise and feeling valued is vital: Send a letter of appreciation 48:00 - A happy team is good for business 49:00 - Knowing your team's individual needs, just like the unique child 50:50 - Identify emerging patterns in the team e.g. do you need to arrange a sleep workshop for your team? 52:00 - Looking at individualised and wider team data you can rely on as an owner or manager 54:00 - Does this feel intrusive? 54:50 - Return on investment? The proof is that your team is staying: You can't put a figure on wellbeing and mental health 56:15 - The need to feel heard and know that people are aware of how you are feeling 01:00:50 - Supporting new members of staff to settle and feel welcome 01:02:40 - You are within your rights to have wellbeing support from your employer For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

Anne Brass and Jan Dubiel introduce the Durham Early Years Curriculum Project. This project involves 26 schools across Durham, focusing on strengthening purposeful curriculum design and implementation, and empowering leaders and educators in creating meaningful contexts for progressive teaching and learning.  This episode is the first in a series on Education Durham, an ongoing project with Durham Education and Coram Hempsall's. Upcoming episodes and articles will include project progress through educator voices. To find out more about the project visit: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/projects/education-durham-project/  Episode break down: 00:00 - Curriculum project introduction 07:00 - Senior leadership teams understanding early years curricula 08:50 - Increasing number of 2-year-olds in school provision 13:00 - Educator agency, autonomy and confidence in curriculum development 16:10 - Defining and understanding the term curriculum 17:20 - A curriculum is not just 'planning' 19:00 - Understanding sequencing of learning 22:15 - What we can all learn from special educational needs schools 23:20 - Network meetings within the project 26:35 - Learning behaviours within the curriculum 30:20 - The EYFS is about teaching children how to learn 32:30 - Developing the architecture of being a learner 34:32 - Curriculum project session 2 35:00 - Educator voices as part of the project 39:00 - Ongoing project progression For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

Greshma Momaya and Angelica Celinska discuss gender equality in early childhood classrooms and settings. Greshma shares practice from her school in India, providing examples and tips on how to ensure we not only promote gender equality, but also notice when we unknowingly might place or communicate gender bias. They discuss a gender neutral curriculum, challenging your own deep rooted, subconscious gender biases and much more.  Episode break down: 00:00 - Greshma's 'why' 02:37 - Children's understanding of gender roles 08:34 - Gender stereotypical story characters  10:00 - An overfocus on physical appearance  12:10 - A gender neutral curriculum 14:54 - Educators checking in on their own gender bias 17:57 - Addressing behaviour inconsistently 21:25 - Are we living up to our values and beliefs? 22:40 - Professional challenge and creating safe spaces 24:21 - Representing diverse family structures 28:05 - Aligning the curriculum with children's direct experiences 31:00 - 'Give children global boots with local roots' - Sugata Mitra 32:50 - Working with resource companies and book publishers 34:50 - Challenging traditional language  36:50 - The current context in India 38:30 - Respecting families' choices and preferences 41:15 - Famous and historical figures being more gender equal 43:55 - Setting boundaries and systems to promote gender equality 45:40 - 3 steps in checking your own gender bias For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

Dr Stella Louis provides an overview around the grounding elements of the Froebelian approach. This includes unity and connectedness, observations and the role of the adult. The key messages are: starting from the child by observing what they already know and can do, having a good understanding of children's development and focusing on how children learn rather than what children learn.  To learn more about Friedrich Froebel and the Froebelian approach visit: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-childhood-pioneers/friedrich-froebel/  Episode break down: 01:25 - Unity and connectedness: Building on what children CAN do and already know 04:06 - Educational resources: Froebel's gifts and occupations 07:58 - The mother songs: Froebel's biggest contribution 10:43 - Physical development through the mother songs 13:00 - Childhood is a stage within its own right 16:15 - The role of the nurturing adult 19:26 - Real, tangible, first hand experiences 20:44 - Thinking beyond children's interests 24:10 - Respecting the process and not just focusing on the outcome 25:48 - Teachable moments come from knowing the child and community 28:35 - Knowledge of child development in curriculum building 30:06 - A summary of this episode  31:55 - Dr Stella Louis' new book: Let's talk about race in the early years For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

Adam Marycz and Angelica Celinska discuss the divisive narrative between the early years sector and the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofsted. They discuss the challenging, unpleasant and damaging recent events around the education sector and Ofsted, including the case around Ruth Perry, the headteacher who took her own life, as well as the silencing of influential voices in the early years sector by the DfE.  This is a podcast episode which is a challenging discussion, but it is highly required, as the time for change is now. This episode is steeped in shared reflection, challenge of both sides, critical analysis and pressing considerations for all stakeholders involved in early childhood.  Read Adam Marycz's articles here: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/ofsteds-and-the-dfes-voices-must-be-heard-whether-we-like-them-or-not/  Share your voice with Ofsted here: https://us18.list-manage.com/survey?u=0b942007e0712713ed7c55937&id=c5d3c16df0&attribution=false  The Voice of Early Childhood (TVOEC) will be collating voices from the sector to share with Ofsted as part of our advocacy stance. Some of the thought-provoking points discussed are:  01:20 - Ofsted's impact on educators 03:45 - Pausing inspections only for schools 07:10 - Childcare vs education? - Language matters! 16:40 - Banning early years specialists from speaking at events 20:10 - Is the sector's response helpful?  21:10 - Ofsted need to attend events as delegates too 23:00 - Influential figures need to model professional dialogue 26:34 - Humanising Ofsted and the DfE 30:20 - Do we refuse Ofsted access to our settings? 32:54 - Chief Ofsted inspector Sir Martyn Oliver's response to pausing inspections 37:10 - How do we prevent anxiety around inspections? 37:40 - Let's listen to all voices and be uncomfortable in conversations 40:30 - We are inviting Ofsted onto The Voice of Early Childhood Podcast 42:40 - Ofsted's priorities - 'The Big Listen' 45:50 - Ofsted involving the early years sector in decision making processes 54:40 - Has a line been crossed too far? 59:37 - Share your views with Ofsted through The Voice of Early Childhood (TVOEC) 01:00:44 - Let's challenge each other and have active dialogue and professional debate You can find more podcast episodes and articles on The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com 

Dr Kathryn Murray talks us through the Brain-SET Environments Formula, which is all about creating a calm learning environment through a skills based pedagogy. Dr Murray explains that it is much more than where you put the furniture; she shares with us a deeper look at creating learning environments with brain development at the centre. Some of the thought-provoking points discussed are:  00:30 - Dr Kathryn Murray's background 02:25 - The beginnings of Brain-SET 05:58 - Aesthetics of the learning environment 07:20 - Considering furniture in designing a learning environment 07:50 - Brain development as a big part in creating environments 10:00 - The environment is the 3rd teacher 12:13 - The structure of the brain 15:00 - What is 'foggy brain'? 16:00 - A calm brain is a thinking brain 17:09 - Multiple defined spaces are less threatening 19:20 - Using the language of learning 21:10 - Impacts of training in a 2-year-old room 23:50 - The brain doesn't do boring! 25:00 - Small spaces teach self-regulation/soft skills 27:15 - Decrease in behaviour issues 28:00 - Using interests to pull children into learning spaces 31:00 - Environments underpinned by research 52:58 - Freeflow rather than carouselling/rotation 36:11 - Brain-SET is a skills-based formula 37:35 - Learning ocurring naturally 38:15 - Continuous provision for repeating learning behaviours 39:50 - Carefully curating spaces to encourage skill development 42:52 - Seeing Brain-SET in action: The Astrea Academy Trust action research project Read Dr Kathryn Murray's article and find out more about Brain-SET here: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/aligning-learning-environments-with-the-needs-of-the-brain/ You can find more podcast episodes and articles on The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

For 10% off our conference tickets visit: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2024/ If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like -  PE in early years with Josh Candy - www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/pe-in-early-years/  Physical Development Early Learning Goals: What are they for? With Dr Lala Manners - www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/physical-development-goals-eyfs/  Dr Nalda Wainwright, Associate professor and Director of applied research academy for physical literacy at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, talks us through her research on the importance of motor skills development in early childhood for all future development and health.  Some of the thought-provoking points discussed are:  00:50 - Dr Nalda's research 02:00 - Introducing object control skills? 05:50 - A structured approach to physical development: The SKIP 08:30 - How has the SKIP programme affected children's development? 11:00 - The effects of chronic physical delay 14:17 - What are object control skills? 17:20 - The complex systems involved in learnng to catch 20:50 - Higher physical competence = higher academic outcomes 23:55 - Why are physical delays a new problem? 26:00 - What about formal sports activities? 33:40 - Training educators rather than bringing in external sports coaches 36:40 - Physical perception is one of the strongest drivers of self-esteem 37:30 - Children can't just do sport... 39:07 - Broad movement vocabulary 42:55 - Stillness is a skill 43:00 - Understanding children's development is VITAL 45:53 - Children judge play or work through physical activity 47:50 - CPD in children's development needs to be embedded in practice Find out more on The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

For 10% off our conference tickets visit: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2024/ In this episode Jordan Tully, an experienced Head of Operations in early childhood, discusses business and profit in education, specifically focusing in on what growth and sustainability looks like, seeking out investment, staff recruitment, retention, working with your local community and marketing your setting. Some highlights include: Retention reducing unnecessary spend on recruitment Look at the person and not just the position you want to fill You can teach someone about the EYFS, you can teach someone to carry out observations...You can't teach someone how to care.  Seeing your staff as an investment in your setting - they are your biggest asset Providing parents with a service they can only say positive things about... Parents are the best advocates for your setting - positive parent partnerships affect so many parts of the business. Understanding your local community - it's vital to do research on your local community - is your setting a right fit for your community? A recruitment success story Take a look below at all of the thought-provoking points addressed in this episode... Episode breakdown:  01:45 - Profit is a dirty word in education... 05:14 - How to secure funding 10:10 - Defining what business sustainability looks like 11:40 - Staff retention: A holistic approach 16:00 - Your staff are your biggest asset 18:07 - Enabling your staff to grow 19:30 - A recruitment success story 21:00 - Recruiting staff who are willing to learn 28:14 - Word of mouth is the best advertising 29:50 - A parent is a customer - a consumer of our services 33:10 - Recruiting staff from your local community 36:50 - Settings closing their business 39:25 - The employee has the greater say 40:45 - Part-time vs full-time staff 44:15 - Are other settings competition? 49:21 - Running a business is hard... Find out more on The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

Book onto Prerna Richards' Online Webinar and Q+A on The Voice of Early Childhood www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/the-brain-behaviour-and-learning-connecting-the-dots  For 10% off our conference tickets visit: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2024/ Prerna Richards is an early childhood education consultant who helps educators and parents/carers to understand children's behaviour and support their development of new skills required to change challenging behaviour. Prerna shares with us some 'aha' moments through real life examples of children, educators and parents, and offers practical solutions to try. The main takeaway from this episode is that you can't use shame or punishment to change children's behaviour, to change behaviour you need to teach a skill. Essentially, replacing an unhealthy or challenging behaviour with a learnt skill...but how do we do this? Take a look below at all of the thought-provoking points addressed in this episode... Episode breakdown:  00:49 - The 3 brain states 02:50 - The 7 F's displayed through behaviour 06:50 - Empowering children in communicating their need for space 09:25 - Dealing with biting 13:35 - The more you correct, the less you connect... 14:50 - You have to DSD... 20:00 - You have to play detective! 21:24 - Supporting a frightened child 22:44 - Fear creates a frozen brain 25:00 - Children lie when they are scared 25:35 - Fawning/people pleasing as a fear response 28:05 - 'You are safe, I'm here to help you' 29:58 - Switching from the survival to the emotional brain 31:25 - Asking for the child's voice 32:15 - Struggling as a mother and a teacher 34:15 - The problem with gentle parenting 35:25 - The need to be seen, heard, loved 36:50 - The 9 minute magic for parents and educators 39:32 - The learning brain - an evolving space 40:40 - 'Download your calm, don't upload their stress' 41:12 - Asking the 3 vital questions to  42:18 - The power of 'SAIL' 42:45 - The power of 'yet' 43:40 - Reflecting on a more personal level 45:44 - Children are born capable and intelligent 46:15 - Equipping children with life skills 47:00 - Changing the world by starting with the early years 47:25- Language to articulate, to understand and to be aware Find out more on The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com If you liked this episode you might also like 'The brain that loves to play' with Dr Jacqueline Harding: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/the-brain-that-loves-to-play/ 

Ben Kingston-Hughes will be presenting a keynote session at The Voice of Early Childhood Conference on 16th March 2024. Be sure not to miss out!  For 10% off our conference tickets visit: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2024/ Ben Kingston-Hughes talks about giving children the chance to be children through experiencing more moments of joy in their lives. Ben gives us insight into the work he does with vulnerable children and the knowledge he has from neuroscience as he explains the power of play, humour, laughter and imagination. Take a look below at all of the thought-provoking points addressed in this episode... Episode breakdown:  00:41 - Why children need joy 01:40 - The English curriculum - EYFS - doesn't mention the word 'joy' 03:12 - A real example of joy changing lives 05:30 - The catastrophic effects on children who don't experience joy 06:20 - Humour and laughter helps to embed learning 09:20 - Immersive narratives: What does this mean? 12:50 - Supporting children's confidence through imagination 14:38 - What's the difference between creativity and imagination 21:24 - The pleasure of writing books 22:30 - The healing power of imagination 25:44 - Why adult's should initiate play, particularly for vulnerable children 27:54 - Creating an environment which makes children feel secure and comfortable 30:52 - Have you forgotten to tell your face to smile? - Consciously checking your body language 32:41 - A funny and embarrassing story from Ben to make us all laugh!  Find out more on The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

Kinderly Learn proudly sponsors this podcast with Dr Valerie Daniel - one of Kinderly Learn’s regular expert speakers and authors. To find out more about Kinderly Learn, visit www.kinderly.co.uk/cpd-training For 10% off our conference tickets visit: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2024/.  Dr Valerie Daniel discusses creative pedagogical practices - From being responsive to children's needs and constructing the curriculum to leadership and the pressures of school improvement.  Take a look below at all of the thought-provoking points addressed in this episode... Episode breakdown:  00:50 - What are creative pedagogical practices? 02:20 - Prescriptive practice 04:40 - Building a curriculum and setting ethos 08:37 - Your learning community 13:33 - Explorers, researchers and inventors 16:01 - Letting go of control 18:17 - Working within the constraints of legislation 25:55 - Don't assume children are too young 31:45 - Navigating the early years landscape 39:01 - The pressures of school improvement 41:22 - Learning from others and good quality CPD 47:00 - The value of being challenged as a leader 52:53 - Seeing yourself as an imperfect leader Find out more on The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

For 10% off our conference tickets visit: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2024/ In this series on the science behind outdoor play Angelica talks to Gemma Goldenberg who is researching how indoor and outdoor environments affect children's stress, attention and self-regulated behaviour. In this episode, part 4 of the series, Gemma shares her results around children's behaviour and attention during and after outdoor and indoor sessions. Gemma and Angelica discuss the findings in more depth, beyond the general trends, which raises implications for wider educational research as well as pedagogy in classrooms around 'controlling' children's behaviour, looking at averages in data and listening to children's preferences when it comes to their own individual learning.  Episode breakdown: 01:10 - What we already know about impacts of the outdoors on attention 03:30 - Individual differences and preferences 04:45 - Controlling measures in the research study 06:00 - How do we measure behaviour and attention? 14:32 - Implications for 'good listening' 17:20 - Did you find what you expected to find in the research? 18:30 - What use is identifying the average and looking at general data/trends? 21:00 - Implications for educational research 23:00 - Preference impacts learning: Listening to children's preferences matters! 26:40 - What do teachers need to control and when can they release control? Listen to the full 4-part series and read Gemma's articles on: The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

This episode is sponsored by Learniture - Experts in the design of educational furniture for settings and schools who recognise that learning environments can positively impact achievement. To find out more about Learniture, visit www.learniture.co.uk For 10% off our conference tickets visit: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2024/.  If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like: Tricia Mohamed's episode on: The skill of observation -www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/the-skill-of-observation Let's flip practice on its head - instead of a 'language rich environment', how about we have an environment which doesn't rely on language? Angelica has a conversation with Marlis Juerging-Coles who gives us a different perspective on language, and really challenges common practices. Take a look below at all of the thought-provoking points addressed in this episode... Episode breakdown:  01:27 - Three common factors in supporting language 02:55 - Language is our social currency 05:05 - Should we use the child's first language in settings? 12:54 - Tokenism and cultural differences 17:00 - An environment that doesn't rely on language 20:17 - No child has chosen to be at your setting 25:50 - Does it matter if children don't use English? 28:40 - Achieving deep level learning 32:27 - Creating an environment which doesn't rely on language 36:30 - Don't be too quick to make changes... 39:00 - Involving children in constructing their environment 43:00 - Getting to know and respecting families' preferences 48:40 - Reflection and asking questions is not a negative 51:37 - What would you say to Ofsted? Read Marlis' article and find out more on The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

For 10% off our conference tickets visit: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2024/.  If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like: David Wright's episode on: Early childhood centres as places of influence, restoration and hope - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-childhood-centres-as-places-of-influence-restoration-and-hope/  On this first episode of 2024 Angelica talks to Dr Jo Albin-Clark and Dr Nathan Archer on the topic of advocacy and activism in early childhood. Jo and Nathan share the work they do with educators on day to day acts of activism and ethical subversions in practice. A number of topics are brought into this episode, including early childhood pioneers, both past and present, as well as democracy, citizenship and identity. Episode breakdown:  02:12 - The history of advocacy and activism in early childhood  04:10 - What does advocacy look like today? 06:00 - Advocacy as an everyday occurrence 07:00 - Resistance practices 08:42 - Bringing together theory, practice and academia 09:46 - Challenging pioneering theorists 13:58 - The word pioneer: Reconfiguring this term 15:27 - Critical awareness around policy as a bedrock for advocacy 16:57 - The importance of collectivising 18:25 - The barriers to collectivising 19:34 - The risks involved in advocacy and activism 22:50 - Acknowledging acts of advocacy 28:44 - The power of storytelling/sharing around day to day practice 32:10 - Examples of advocacy in practice 36:20 - The recipe for advocacy in early childhood 38:15 - Recognising and celebrating play alongside families and children 42:03 - Educators' professional identities 44:12 - Citizenship and sustainability 46:48 - Engaging in dialogue with wider society  49:50 - A polarised society Find out more on The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com